Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, wants a plan to close Salinas' airport tower grounded before a final decision comes Friday.

In a last-minute letter sent Wednesday to the Federal Aviation Administration, the congressman said it would be "unconscionable" to close the tower without regard for its economic consequences.

Smaller airports, such as the Salinas Municipal Airport, face closure of their towers because of federal sequestration cuts, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced last month. The FAA will announce Friday which of 189 towers will lose funding, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The California Farm Bureau and the county Agricultural Commissioner's Office have already voiced opposition to the plan because they say it would slow down helicopters and small aircraft that provide pest control and crop management.

"Trying to coordinate multiple aircraft over 210,000 acres, from a remote location outside the county, will not only jeopardize the growing season, but also will have the unintended consequence of raising the cost of fresh produce and vegetables to consumers, and risking food safety," Farr wrote.

He argued a decision to close the tower based solely on aviation volume must be revisited because the airport supports a $4 billion agricultural industry in the county.

Bob Roach, the county's assistant agricultural commissioner, said last week his agency was "greatly concerned" about the tower closing because the number of crop-dusting operations would be limited without a tower to coordinate.

"There is a limited window for aerial applications," he said. "... You have to do that early in the morning before the wind comes up. They don't have all day, and a delay could significantly impact their ability to do their job."

Farr wrote that because the Salinas Valley is responsible for 60 percent of the nation's lettuce and spinach, as well as 70 percent of strawberries, the tower closing could raise the price on produce for the country's consumers.

"The FAA decision to set an arbitrary threshold for airport contract towers operations," Farr wrote, "has been made in a vacuum without regard to the very real economic concerns of rural America."

National interest

The FAA declined to respond to Farr's letter, but sent the messages it mailed to airport towers on March 5.

It wrote the administration would consider not closing towers if "the national interest would be adversely affected" by their closure.

Godown said the airport meets the FAA's definition of national interest, which includes threats to national security, "significant, adverse" economic impact, repercussions to banking and financial networks and its importance as an "diversionary" airport to a large hub.

Although he said he did not want the tower to close, he said the airport "would be able to make do."

He said the tower closes at 7 p.m. every day and all pilots are trained to operate without towers using radio frequencies and other techniques.

"Folks come out of here all night long and we're able to function," he said. "... We'll feel it, but, again, everyone is trained to operate in uncontrolled environments."